2015: Buhari, Tinubu bury ambitions, to anoint candidate

Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, presidential candidate in the April 2011 election, General Muhammadu Buhari, and leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may have agreed to bury their differences and aspirations as the CPC and ACN rapprochement continues to gather momentum.

Gen. Mohammed Buhari discussing with Former Governor of Lagos State Bola Tinubu at a meeting in Abuja
The two met in Kaduna at the residence of Buhari last Thursday. Both men also drove together to Kano to the waiting embrace of a mammoth crowd.

It was gathered, at the weekend, that discussions between both men centred on how to proceed preparatory to the 2015 general elections.

Of specific concern, Sunday Vanguard was told by a source privy to the meeting, was the issue of presenting a “united front for the presidential engagement”.

Although talks are still on, the source said that one of the first steps to be taken by each of the parties “would be the movement towards the centre”.

To this end, both men are said to be disposed to a compromise that “would see each relegating his ambition for the common good of the proposed alliance”.

If all goes well, both men, according to our source, would seek and anoint candidates for the presidential election.

In fact, the reason both leaders have decided to commence talks in earnest is “just so they would avoid the type of last minute rancour that led to the collapse of talks last year”, a source said.

It would be recalled that last-minute efforts by the ACN and CPC to forge an alliance for last year’s presidential election collapsed.

The inability of each of the party’s leaders to subsume their ambitions led to the collapse of the talks.

Source: Vanguard Newspapers

11 COMMENTS

  1. Buhari and Tinubu in agreement talk! It’z indeed a welcome development for our Democracy. Now, if the two parties emerge to produce a candidate for the fore-coming election, who will be the “president and who will be the Vice-President”, among them? Let us watch out for the game that is about to be played!!! Nigerians shine your eye o… E b like sey dem want to tell us anoda story again o

  2. Please bury your personal ambitions and give us a combination that can challenge the ruling party; with ACN/CPC bringing tested performers (not necessarily perfect people) people like Fashola (who would have completed his 2nd term) and El-Rufai in whatever order OR any other such combinations. This will change the dynamics significantly and even force the ruling party to also put forward their best hands. Nigerians should, hopefully, benefit from the competitiveness this will produce. God bless Nigeria!

  3. Evry1 is sayin its a welcom devlopment, for me its not. De should be talkin abt how 2 supot d presnt gov. 2 curb out menace dat ve befalld d nation n’ d way 4ward. Nt 2015 electn or is it dat de re nt concernd or affect wit d state of d nation… I dislike article as such.

  4. If they want to win, they need more than jst the votes of ACN and CPC to do dat, they need the votes of oda parties tooo.didn’t they see the gap of the last election,it was like usain bolt at the last olympic games,and y are they not talking a bout the boko haram,dat. Is fast redusing d numbers of pple to vote in 2015,

  5. The problem in Nigeria and with Nigeria is not a problem that could be solved by mergers and acquisition of political parties alone. Both Tinubu and Buhari would tell you they want to rule because they want to improve education, health, security, power supply, etc.; but the truth is that most of these people are in search of power so that they can achieve their individual ambitions. Recycling Buhari is as dangerous as making Tinubu the president. Has Buhari given account of what happened when he was the boss of Petroleum Trust Fund? Would Buhari and Tinubu submit to financial probes into their times as President and governor of Lagos state respectively? There is no probity and accountability in Nigeria and both Buhari and Tinubu are no saints. A strong opposition, which could be by way of this type of merger, is what Nigeria needs but this alone will not solve our national problems. GEJ appears to be weak as a president because while he is not a saint, some prominent Nigerians, including Buhari, do not want to see him succeed. Above all, he has PDP allegiances he has to protect and keep happy. Nigeria has not produced a leader who would put the interest of the nation before his and his cronies’ interests. We need to be realistic as to what is achievable with merger of political parties and recycling of ineffective leaders.